


nothing like the kid next door

by rxginamills



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, F/M, M/M, the best au i have ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 22:42:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14412069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxginamills/pseuds/rxginamills
Summary: Mal really hadn't thought that a quirky, popular Ravenclaw girl would be her type.But, to be fair, Evie didn't think that a more quiet and mysterious Slytherin would catch her eye either.





	nothing like the kid next door

Mal's mother isn't at the train station to wave her goodbye. It's already surprising that she even got a ride. The only thing Mal says to her mother is "bye". She doesn't get one back, but that's nothing new to her.

The train ride feels long and boring. Mal sits alone in a booth, reading a book curiously, when she hears the words she's quite used to:

"That girl has purple hair!"

Mal rolls her eyes and focuses on the book even more. Her mother charmed her hair to be purple from the day she was born; a sign that she was different and would do great things.

She hears no more comments about her hair before the train arrives to Hogwarts.

At the Sorting ceremony Mal is quite nervous. She has no friends, no one to talk to, while there is excited whispering all around her. She doesn't dare to look at the masses of students sitting around the tables behind her.

"Mallory Drake!" a woman's voice suddenly yells out. Mal cringes at her full first name but walks up to the Sorting Hat.

"You're an interesting girl. Purple hair and the oddly mysterious eyes that could hide the deepest of secrets. I think you're going to be a great wizard!" the Sorting Hat speaks.

"Just get it over with and sort me into Slytherin," Mal mutters under her breath.

"Impatient!" the Hat calls loudly, making Mal jump in surprise, "But I cannot deny you the truth. You already know what house you belong to: SLYTHERIN!"

Mal hops off the chair and hurries to the cheering Slytherin table. A few bigger hands touch her shoulders to congratulate her. She doesn't respond. God, little Mal just needs some food now. 

—

It's Mal's second year now. She has no friends. Her mom doesn't send her any mail. She rarely speaks to anyone except the teachers in class. It has turned out she's excellent in Charms and Transfiguration; perhaps one of McGonagall's top students.

Mal's sitting by herself outside, once more deeply concentrated in her book. It's small and worn out but it's the most precious thing Mal owns.

All of a sudden a little spark - as if from a firework - flies towards her and hits the ground next to her. She looks up and sees two boys running up to her, smiles on their faces. One is short and one tall, and based on their ties the short one is a Hufflepuff while the tall one is a Gryffindor.

"Hey, sorry about that, we didn't expect it to fly this far," the shorter boy says.

"It's fine," Mal says, lowering her eyes to the book once more.

"You know, whenever I see you, you're always with that book. Do you even do anything else than read it?" the taller guy asks. Mal slams the book shut in slight annoyance.

"Yeah, I do, actually, and that's none of your business," she snaps.

"Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean to pry," the tall guy defends himself, "I'm Jay."

"And I'm Carlos."

Mal is surprised at this. Whenever she gets rather short-tempered with people, they usually walk away. These two boys have introduced themselves to her; more than anyone's ever done.

"I'm...Mal," she hesitantly holds out her hand. Jay and Carlos shake it.

"So. I'm a third year Gryffindor as you can see from my nice tie, and I play in the Quidditch team," Jay explains, "Carlos is a Hufflepuff. Your year."

"It's, um, nice to meet you? I guess?" Mal is feeling awkward. Carlos and Jay seem nice.

"Do you wanna have lunch with us?" Carlos asks. Mal caves in and actually smiles a little bit.

"Sure."

— 

Going on to her third year, Carlos and Jay become Mal's safety at Hogwarts. They're her only friends but she has a blast with them. For the first time in a while, she doesn't feel so bad and lonely. The two boys are making her feel like she belongs.

So here she is at Potions class with Carlos. Mal's not that good at the subject, but she gets by. Today, however, she is struggling with the Wiggenweld Potion. Her own batch is just not looking like it should. Professor Slughorn is instructing a random Hufflepuff girl in the front of the class. Mal drops her wand on the table and sighs loudly.

"Why won't this work?! It's not looking right at all!" she mumbles to herself.

"Did you add all the ingredients?" Carlos asks from his own table. Mal grabs the book and reads through the instructions.

"I think I did...wait! I skipped the Chizpurfle fangs! Thanks Carlos," Mal grabs a handful of the fangs from the table and is just sbout to drop them into her potion when there's movement in front of her and someone grabs her wrist.

"Stop!

Mal looks up from her potion and it's just like that; time has stopped.

A girl is standing in front of her. She's a bit taller than Mal and wearing a Ravenclaw tie with her black robes. She has warm brown eyes — piercing and intriguing — and long, black hair (with blue in it, to Mal's complete surprise), currently up on a ponytail.

"The instructions say to put 7 Chizpurfle fangs! You have like 12 in your hand! You don't wanna know what happens if you mess up the quantities." the girl explains, bringing Mal back from her thoughts.

"Oh," is all she says and puts the fangs back on the table. Then she counts the correct amount and drops them in the potion. It switches color.

"There! Looks good," the Ravenclaw girl smiles. She's completely oblivious to how she has taken Mal's breath away.

13-year-old Mal has never felt this way in her life. Well, she doesn't know what she feels, but it's something.

"Uh," Mal breathes, "Thanks."

The taller girl smiles at her and walks back to her table without saying her name — not that Mal expected her to say it, but now she's going to be thinking about it for a while. 

—

"Come on Carlos, you should definitely try out for the team! You'd be great!"

Quidditch tryouts are close. Carlos regrets not trying out in his third year, so maybe the fourth is his chance. He desperately wants to try out for the Hufflepuff team to be a Seeker but he's too nervous. Mal and Jay are trying to convince him.

"I - I don't know guys, I'd probably just suck," Carlos rubs his arm.

"Don't be stupid! You'd be fantastic!" Jay pats Carlos on the back. The smaller boy sighs.

"I guess I should try, shouldn't I?"

"Absolutely!" Mal exclaims as they start to head to the Great Hall.

A week passes. It's tryout day. Carlos is extremely nervous. Mal and Jay are walking him to the field, telling him supportive things.

"Look who it is! The Hufflepuff wimp is trying out for a place in the team, how cute!"

The three turn towards the sound; it's the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and a few of his friends. They all laugh at Carlos.

"Shut up Chad," Mal snaps as they keep walking.

"Hey Mal, aren't you supposed to be on our side? You're a Slytherin," Chad yells out. Mal smirks.

"I don't side with jerks!" she yells back. After this Chad says nothing. Mal, Jay and Carlos reach the field.

"Okay, now you're gonna go in there and do the best you can. It doesn't matter if you don't make the team. Whatever you do out there is enough," Mal explains. Carlos takes a deep breath.

"You're gonna do great," Jay puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Carlos says to the both of them. Then Jay nudges him towards the field. Carlos grasps his broom a bit tighter and heads on. Now Mal and Jay can only wait.

—

Carlos makes it on the team. His first game is coming up soon enough — against Ravenclaw. Mal's mind is instantly taken to her Potions class girl. She still sees her in that same class, she occasionally smiles at her nervously but never dares to go talk to her. Even though Mal now has Carlos and Jay, she isn't a people person.

"I don't understand why you don't go and talk to her," Carlos says as they're eating dinner in the Great Hall. Jay is at Quidditch practice.

"Because I made a complete fool of myself in Potions class last year and I've been super creepy, I just randomly stare at her and she always catches me! On top of that, why would she want to be friends with a weird Slytherin girl like me?" Mal vents. Carlos rolls his eyes.

"I'm gonna go get her. Even I have talked to her more than you have and she seems really nice," he says and gets up to go to the Ravenclaw table.

"What — Carlos — don't — "

But he's already gone. Mal starts to go through a list of hexes in her head. She sees Carlos talking to the Ravenclaw girl — she's smiling. Mal finds it cute, but she would never admit it to anyone.

Oh no, they're coming here, Mal thinks to herself as Carlos and the girl approach.

"Mal, this is Evie. Evie Quinn. She sings in the Frog Choir," Carlos introduces the Ravenclaw girl to Mal.

Evie, she mutters in her head, it's nice. She can sing too.

"Hi," Mal mumbles.

"So your name is Mal," Evie says, as if inspecting the name in her mouth, "I like it."

"Thanks."

There's a small silence.

"So...you're good at Potions? Professor Slughorn seems to like you a lot," Mal comments. Evie raises a brow.

"Well, my mom used to teach me a lot at home and she's been doing that stuff her whole life. That's...about the only thing we did together." her voice turns sad.

"I'm sorry," Carlos says.

"It's okay. I'm happy here. Hogwarts is my safe place," Evie smiles.

"Mine too," Mal breathes. She looks up into Evie's eyes; green meets brown. It's a magical moment. Carlos witnesses this from the side and grins.

"Hey Evie!" a girl voice calls out, "Choir rehearsal in 5!"

"Thanks Audrey, I'll be there!" Evie says back, "Those two are Ben and Audrey, they're both Gryffindors. I'm in the Frog Choir with them. They're pretty nice once you get to know them."

"I'm sure." Mal says with a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.

"Anyway..." Evie continues a bit awkwardly, "I'm gonna go now, I don't wanna be late. Bye Carlos. It was nice meeting you Mal."

"You too," Mal manages to give Evie a smile. Then the Ravenclaw is on her way. Mal lets out a relieved breath.

"Remind me to hex you later," she tells Carlos, who laughs.

"Mal, that went great! I'm sure she likes you! And I can see you liked her too..." he winks at her. Mal slaps his arm.

"Shut up!" she hisses, "That was so embarrassing!"

Mal and Carlos finish dinner and head into their respective common rooms. Mal is so ready to cuddle in bed with her book. 

— 

Mal has no idea that she is on Evie's mind as she gets ready to leave from rehearsal. That purple-haired girl of a few words and mystical, green eyes;

Mal.

Evie finds her interesting. She's unlike Evie's friends for sure, and doesn't seem to be very talkative when among people. There's something fascinating about her, and Evie doesn't exactly know what that is, but she wants to know Mal better.

"Hey, what were you doing talking to that weird Slytherin girl? Isn't she a total loser?" Audrey asks as she, Evie and Ben head the same way for a little bit.

"Don't say that. Her name is Mal and she seems nice. I just think she hasn't had lots of people in her life," Evie defends Mal. Audrey sighs.

"Whatever you say, E. Anyway, McGonagall is gonna make me redo an exam tomorrow so I need to study a bit more if I wanna get a better grade and not fail the class. I'll see you tomorrow." Audrey puts an arm around Evie's neck and hugs her quickly and goes off. Evie is left with Ben.

"I think you should get to know that Mal girl. Audrey may not like it but in the end it's not her choice. I got your back." he smiles. Evie hugs him.

"You're a great friend, Ben. Thanks and good night," she answers and they head different ways.

"Hey Lon," Evie greets her friend Lonnie as she enters the Ravenclaw common room.

"Hey Evie!" Lonnie looks up from her book.

"You know, I wanna ask you something," Evie goes to Lonnie.

"Hit me," the brunette smiles.

"Have you ever had a moment when...I don't know, you meet someone and you're so intrigued by them and there's something telling you to get to know them better and they're just so fascinating!"

"I've gotta say, E, I have not had a moment like that. I'm guessing you had one today?" Lonnie raises a brow and smirks. Evie looks down at her hands and smiles a little.

"Yeah, I think I did." 

— 

Year five is always a stressful one. O.W.L.s are coming up for some of the students — including Evie, Carlos and Mal. The Slytherin has probably never been this stressed out. Her grades are dropping slightly.

On the positive side, Evie has started to hang out with Mal, Jay and Carlos a bit more. She's still with her own friends too, but she often sits with the three while they're having lunch. Sometimes they meet during free periods.

"Professor Flitwick hates me, I'm drowning in homework," Mal moans as she, Evie and Carlos sit outside in the grass during a free period.

"You're not the only one. Quidditch practice also takes up time. I'm beat," Carlos moves to lay on his back. A moment later Jay runs towards them.

"Guys! You will not believe what just happened! I was made the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" he exclaims.

"Dude! That's amazing! Congrats!" Mal hugs Jay tightly. Carlos is smiling up at him proudly.

"Congrats Jay," he says, hitting a high-five with the Gryffindor sixth year. Jay is over the moon.

"I'm really happy for you," Evie grins.

"Thank you guys. So how is fifth year treating you?" Jay asks. Mal, Carlos and Evie immediately groan, making Jay laugh.

"Listen, I know it may seem bad now but you will be so proud of yourselves after your O.W.L.s are done! Last year I was just as stressed out as you are now but it's gonna be okay." he explains.

"I really hope so because I'm in deep trouble if my grades don't go up right now," Mal sinks her face in her hands. Evie puts a hand on her shoulder, making her whole body feel electrified. There's something special about the way Evie treats Mal but Mal would never admit that she's this soft when it comes to the Ravenclaw. Well, she doesn't even know why she is this soft. Evie has an impact on her. Carlos has made fun of her for liking Evie as more than friends, but Mal has brushed him off. She refuses to admit it to herself.

"I could tutor you," Evie offers.

"You could?" Mal is confused.

"Yeah. I'm a fairly good student and we take almost all of the same classes. I wanna help," Evie feels fuzzy inside when she says this. She feels like there's more to Mal than she knows and wants to get closer to her.

"Okay. Okay, that'd be great. Thanks," Mal blushes slightly.

"Great! We still have an hour left of this free period, let's go spend it usefully!" Evie gets up from the grass and starts to pull Mal with her.

"But — now? I wanted to relax — Evie!" she stutters and turns to Jay and Carlos before she and Evie disappear around the corner.

Help, she mouths to the two of them. They simply laugh together. 

—

Half an hour into their studying session, Evie is helping Mal with the Vanishing Spell, one of the most difficult ones.

"The task is to make an object disappear. You have to focus, otherwise something can go seriously wrong..."

Mal listens to Evie babble about the incantation and what it does and how it works. She's paying attention, but still focused on Evie's face. Her eyes, her lashes, her lips —

Mal's eyes widen when she realizes it: she has caught herself looking at Evie's lips.

Well damn it, she hisses to herself, maybe Carlos wasn't so wrong when he teased me.

"Mal? Are you listening?" Evie asks. Mal looks at her, snapped away from her daydream.

"Oh! Yeah, of course. Can I try the spell now?"

"Go ahead."

Mal points at a quill on the table and exclaims, "Evanesco!"

The quill fades and turns transparent but doesn't completely disappear. Mal sighs.

"You're gonna have to work on that. It's gonna be fine, don't worry," Evie tells her and they keep studying for the next 30 minutes. Mal is actually enjoying herself.

They keep meeting like this to study together and prepare for the O.W.L.s at the end of the year. It's a massive task but slowly Mal's grades are going up to their usual state. It's progress. Small progress, but still worth the pushing. 

—

It's Quidditch time. This is Carlos' fourth game by now and he's excited. He wants to win for Hufflepuff. They're playing against Slytherin today, one of the most difficult teams to win. Carlos is ready to give is everything he's got.

Mal and Jay are in the audience with Evie and her friends Lonnie and Jane. Jane is a Hufflepuff as well and is going to support her house 100%.

"I hope Carlos is gonna be okay. Chad doesn't usually play fair," Mal looks to the sky worriedly. The teams are in position. Madam Hooch is standing in the middle of the field.

"I want honest and fair play from each team! Violence is not tolerated! Let the game begin!"

She releases all the balls and loud cheering from the audience begins. Carlos shoots after the Snitch.

"Come on Hufflepuff!" Mal yells.

"Mal, aren't you a Slytherin? Why aren't you cheering for your own team?" Jane asks. Mal is taken aback at this, because Lonnie and Jane rarely talk to her.

"I don't like any of those guys. They play dirty. Carlos is honest and he's my friend," Mal looks at Carlos proudly. She's so happy that he and Jay were playing around with their spark things in year two.

"Score for Hufflepuff!" the commentator shouts into the microphone. Mal, Jay and Evie cheer.

"Come on Carlos! Come on Hufflepuff! You can do this!" Evie screams, making Mal laugh. She is adorable.

Evie watches as Mal jumps up and down on her place, fist in the air, purple hair flowing all around. Mal is beautiful. She's not like any other girl she's ever seen. So mysterious on the outside and on the inside. Evie loves hanging out with her. This girl makes her feel something she's never felt before. What that is, she doesn't know.

The game goes on, Slytherin scores, Hufflepuff scores, the Snitch is hard to catch. It seems everything is going well. Hufflepuff is currently in the lead and Carlos has the Snitch in his sight.

"Carlos De Vil is going for the Snitch!" the commentator yells.

Chad growls angrily on his broom and casts his eyes to Carlos. He begins to chant some kind of spell, making the Bludger swing around in an odd way and switch directions towards Carlos.

"What is that Bludger doing?" Jay asks in fear. Mal's eyes widen and she looks around until she finds the person guilty.

"It's Chad! He's bewitched it to hit Carlos!" she screams.

She, Evie, Jay, Lonnie and Jane shout for Carlos, trying to make him notice the Bludger coming towards him in a threatening way.

"He's not gonna hear us! I have to do something!" Mal pulls out her wand and points it upwards.

"Mal, don't — "

"Bombarda!"

Evie is too late. Carlos turns around to see the Bludger and hear Mal's shout. The spell hits its target and the Bludger explodes into pieces just before it knocks Carlos off his broom.

The whole game stops. People turn to look at Mal and Carlos. Everyone looks around them in confusion.

"Mal!" Evie exclaims in shock, "You could've hit Carlos!"

"What, so you wanted me to not do anything and let Carlos die?!" Mal snaps at her.

"No, I — I don't know, okay!" Evie stutters.

"Miss Drake!" Professor Slughorn yells Mal's name. She winces.

"Here we go," she sighs, "I'm in trouble now."

Mal moves from her seat to go to Professor Slughorn and McGonagall. They both have stern looks on their faces.

"What in the name of Merlin were you doing?!" McGonagall asks.

"I saved Carlos' life, that's what I did!" Mal insists.

"Can you tell us why you shot that spell to the field?" Slughorn continues to ask questions from Mal.

"Because Chad bewitched the Bludger so Slytherin could win!" she exclaims.

"That is a very serious accusation, Miss Drake. So you're saying that Mister Carpenter tried to injure Mister De Vil?" McGonagall inquiries. Mal nods furiously.

"Yes, it was him! You'll get proof if you get his wand so you can see what was the last spell he performed! Please, you have to believe me," Mal pleads from the two teachers. Slughorn sighs.

"We will look further into the case. For now I'm taking 30 points from you, Miss Drake. You can go back to your friends," he says.

"But — "

"For now this is final." 

— 

Weeks pass. Chad is revealed to be guilty of Carlos' almost-incident. Mal is given back her 30 points while Chad gets detention for a week straight. Evie continues to tutor Mal. The O.W.L.s are getting close.

Evie is the first one Mal opens up to about her mother.

She is surprised at first. She's heard that Mal never speaks about her mother, not even to Jay and Carlos. It's a sensitive subject for her, and Evie is about to discover why.

"The reason mom even sent me to Hogwarts was to get rid of me. Like, she doesn't have to stand me for all year now. I don't really know what I've done to her...if I've ever done anything to her. We never really got along. I think she wants me to be a Death Eater like she was, but that's not what I wanna do," Mal laments.

"I'm so sorry," Evie says quietly. She doesn't approach Mal yet.

"Nah, don't be. I'm much happier here. Being around her was a really negative environment for me. I mean, she took care of me in her own way...I had a roof over my head, food on the table everyday, all that stuff. But we never actually talked about things, we never bonded over anything. She loves me enough to keep me alive. Other than that I don't think she likes me that much."

"I can't imagine feeling like that in your own home," now Evie goes closer to Mal, wanting to comfort her.

"Don't worry. I think I've found my home somewhere else..." she trails off, eyes travelling between Evie's own eyes and lips.

Evie decides to be spontaneous. She walks up to Mal and kisses her.

Mal has never been this shocked in her life. She's had a crush on Evie for a while now, that's no lie, and her feelings have developed. But she didn't know Evie felt the same way. Or that she would suddenly kiss her.

Mal thanks Merlin they're alone in the room and pulls back from the kiss rather quickly.

"What's wrong?" Evie asks with concern.

"I'm not - I'm not ready," Mal's voice is shaking. She looks into Evie's eyes for a split second and sees the confusion, the hurt feelings...but Mal really isn't ready yet. Ready to commit to something like this. It has never been like her.

"Mal..." Evie breathes. Mal exits the room quickly, leaving the Ravenclaw standing there alone.

"I'm sorry." 

— 

The O.W.L.s come and go. Carlos and Evie do quite well, and even Mal succeeds with grades she's happy with — thanks to Evie's tutoring.

Sixth year starts. They don't talk that often anymore. After the incident last year, Mal has done her best to not run into Evie. It hurts her inside but she doesn't let it show.

Evie hasn't stopped thinking about the moment she kissed Mal. She's sure of it now, she's in love with the girl, but fuck — what can she do to win her over? She's a sad 16-year-old Ravenclaw from the Frog Choir who lost the chance she had to be with the girl she likes.

And it so happens that the Frog Choir is performing at a school Halloween event. Evie is standing in the front row with Audrey, holding a frog with both hands. She sees Mal in the Slytherin table. Mal looks away.

I hate doing this, I hate doing this to her, I hate being so stupid, Mal thinks to herself and runs a hand through her hair. She still has no friends in Slytherin, but doesn't mind. She doesn't like them that much anyway.

The Frog Choir finishes singing and the Great Hall claps. The choir members go back to their seats. Mal sighs in relief as Evie disappears from her sight.

She finds Jay and Carlos late after the event. They head outside together, desperate for some fresh air. They don't get far when a familiar voice is behind them.

"We need to talk."

It's Evie. She has her hand on Mal's shoulder. Mal's panic level is rising quickly.

"I'm not sure I wanna talk," she stutters.

"Please," Evie drags Mal with her to an empty hallway. They keep their distance.

"What do you want?" Mal asks with annoyance in her voice.

"What do I want? I want to talk to you, I want to know what I did wrong — "

"Oh my God, listen!" Mal snaps suddenly, cutting Evie off sharply, "You didn't do anything wrong! Kissing you was wonderful! But goddammit Evie, it's me! I'm the problem! I mean, who's to say I won't screw up if I tried out with you? How do you know I'm not gonna mess up?"

"I don't! Neither of us do. I think both of us would mess up a few times but we could get through it! I want this, Mal. I'm in love with you and I'm not scared of admitting it," Evie is determined to tell her feelings to Mal. This is the moment. It's now or never. Mal is shaking.

"I don't know if I could," she has tears in her eyes, "I don't wanna hurt you."

"We could try, Mal. I can't promise nothing is going to happen and everything is going to be jolly and great, but we can try. Will you try with me?" Evie's eyes soften as she watches Mal move closer.

"I - I really want to, Evie, honestly, but..."

"You're still not ready."

"No."

"I understand. I'm gonna be here when you are." 

—

Half a year passes. Summer is coming. Jay's graduation is close.

He's going to miss Hogwarts. All the memories he's made, friends he's made, achievements and goals to remember with joy. It is sad that Jay has to leave, but he's excited to start a career in Quidditch. It's always been his dream.

Mal, Carlos and Jay are sitting together in the Great Hall, studying a little and just chatting. Mal hasn't been seeing Evie much, apart from inevitably passing her in the hallways, but even then they don't make eye contact. Being with Evie — being something with Evie — has been her dream since she was 14 years old. And when she was even younger in that Potions class, she knew Evie was special. But she didn't know that she'd let Evie get so close to her, to the point where she has the ability to either "make her" or break her. Mal has been thinking about her feelings for months, carefully going through every little thing. She knows what she wants now.

And like on cue, Evie enters the Great Hall. She spots Lonnie and Jane and goes to sit with them. An exciting conversation begins.

"Do you wanna be with her?" Jay asks Mal, whose eyes are set on Evie.

"I do, yeah," she answers without looking away.

"Then go tell her. Go tell her you're ready," Carlos smiles supportively.

"Am I really though? I mean — "

"Dude, you've been ready for a few months now. Don't be afraid. It's gonna be okay," Jay squeezes Mal's hand supportively.

"I'm so glad we became friends in our second year, I don't know what I'd do without you two," Mal gets up from her seat and moves to the other side to hug Jay and Carlos. Then she brushes her hair off her face and heads towards the Ravenclaw table. Jane notices her first and motions to Lonnie and Evie that she's coming. Evie turns around and looks confused. Mal's heart skips a beat when she sees her face but keeps walking until she's right in front of Evie. She doesn't give Evie any time to react, cups her face and pulls her into a kiss. Jane and Lonnie and a few other people behind them start to squeal in excitement.

Mal and Evie pull away from the kiss and smile. Evie's lower lip is quivering. She's feeling emotional.

"I think I'm just about ready to be with you now," Mal whispers. Evie lets out a sob.

"You serious? Or are you gonna walk out on me again?" she asks, leaning her forehead against Mal's.

"I'm serious. I'm in love with you too. Shit, I finally said it! I've wanted to be with you ever since you were teaching me about the Vanishing spell, and I became interested in you in that Potions class where you helped me to put the right amount of Chizpurfle fangs in my potion." Mal laughs in tears.

"You're such a sap," Evie comments. Mal swats her arm a little.

"Shut up. I need to maintain my street cred," she smirks.

"Oops," Evie plants a kiss on her cheek.

"Sorry to break the moment," Lonnie cuts in gently, "but...are you two official now?"

Evie and Mal look at each other and then grab each other's hands, "Yeah. Yeah, we're official."

The girls start to laugh happily and Evie throws herself into Mal's arms. They stay there and hug for what seems like an eternity. Evie feels Mal shaking.

"Hey, why are you crying? Is something wrong?" she asks. The purple-haired Slytherin chuckles and wipes her eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm just - gosh, I don't wanna get soft. I'm not used to someone loving me like this and caring about me this much. I'm not used to someone holding me like you do or talking to me in a normal tone of voice instead of yelling. I'm not used to any of this and I'm just so happy I have you," Mal hugs Evie again. The taller Ravenclaw kisses her new girlfriend's head. She feels so forry for Mal and what she's gone through.

"I promise, with me you're always gonna feel loved. I'm gonna take care of you," she smiles. Mal giggles - so uncharacteristic for her, but she doesn't care.

"And I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna try. We're gonna try together." 

— 

Mal, Carlos and Evie watch proudly as Jay receives his diploma from Headmistress McGonagall. Three weeks have passed since Mal and Evie got together and Jay is graduating from the best magic school in the world. Carlos admires him and how far he's gotten already. Mal sees him staring and nudges his arm.

"He is cute, you know," Mal winks at Carlos.

"Shut up."

They watch in silence as the graduating students pile into the boats in which they first came to Hogwarts. It's really emotional and Evie can hear some crying behind them; siblings or friends, most likely.

After the ceremony is over and the graduates return to the castle to celebrate, Jay seperates from a few of his Quidditch teammates and rushes to Evie, Mal and Carlos.

"Congrats Jay! You're a Hogwarts graduate!" Evie flings herself into a hug with Jay and he twirls her around once before hugging Mal and Carlos as well.

"Our little boy isn't so little anymore, is he?" Mal smirks and punches his arm playfully. Jay grabs her into his arms, making her squeal in surprise.

"Damn it, Jay — let me down! This is so embarrassing!" Mal yells, banging Jay's back with her fists until he lowers her back om the ground. Carlos embraces Jay in a big hug.

"Thank you so much guys, this is so unreal, I didn't think I could make it this far," Jay smiles.

"Neither did we," Mal comments and the four friends laugh. There are voices behind them and Ben comes to congratulate Jay, Audrey tagging behind. She hugs Evie quickly and then sets eyes to Mal.

"So you must be Mal, Evie's girlfriend," she says after looking at her up and down. Evie puts an arm around Mal's shoulders.

"That's me. You have a problem with that?" Mal looks at Audrey sharply.

"No! Not at all. I was just curious to see what you're like," Audrey says, defending herself. Ben puts a hand on her back and kisses her head; they're clearly dating.

"Mal is amazing. She makes me really happy," Evie looks at Mal and they share a kiss.

"I'm glad," Audrey gives a small smile to Evie and then heads off with Ben.

"So now what are you gonna do? The world is wide open for a Quidditch talent like you," Mal tells Jay. He frowns.

"I'm probably gonna look for a job. Related to Quidditch if possible. But I'll take anything, to be honest. And when teams start their tryouts, I'm gonna be there."

Carlos grins, "And we'll be right behind you." 

—

Jay leaves Hogwarts. Carlos, Mal and Evie (alongside Lonnie, Jane and the others) start their seventh and last year in the amazing magic school. Mal is sitting in Potions class again and recalling all her memories — good and bad.

Arriving to Hogwarts. Being alone, not having anyone to rely on.

Meeting Jay and Carlos and becoming their friend. They completely changed her life for the better and for that she is forever grateful.

Seeing Evie for the first time in the same classroom she's in right now. Evie's currently in front of her at her own table, stirring her own potion. Occasionally she turns around to smile at Mal. Meeting her was the most magical moment of her life.

Saving Carlos at the Quidditch game and getting blamed for the almost-incident that happened. Mal had been furious that day, but in the end it turned out okay. She hates to think about anything happening to Carlos.

Evie kissing her out of nowhere. Mal running away because she's scared and wasn't ready. It makes her so happy to say that now she is.

Her best memory so far is when she had finally come to the realization that she is in love with Evie and she went up to her and kissed her. It had taken a shitload of courage but she had done it! Mal was so proud of herself.

So there they are in Potions class, finishing up their potions and cleaning up their workspaces. After the class, Evie and Mal have a free period. Carlos doesn't have one yet, so the two of them are alone.

Mal sits on the summery grass. Evie lays next go her and puts her head on Mal's lap. Mal strokes her hair gently.

"You know you're really beautiful, right?" Mal looks down at her girlfriend, who chuckles.

"I've been told a few times, yes. Thank you," she leans up to give Mal a kiss.

"I can't believe it took us 3 years to get together," Mal shakes her head.

"So are you saying we should've pursued this romance when we were little 13-year-olds?" Evie laughs at the idea. Mal sinks her face in her hands.

"Of course not, but...I don't even know anymore, I'm just happy you're mine now," she mumbles. 

"I'm happy you're mine too," Evie laces her fingers with Mal's. They both wish they could stay like that forever, but unfortunately that is not the case. More school awaits until they can graduate, and their heads of house, Flitwick and Slughorn aren't going to let them off the hook now. They still have a long journey ahead.

— 

Evie and Mal's one year anniversary passes. They finish their exams. Study hard. Do their best in every class. And it has paid off.

It's graduation.

Jay's watching from the crowds of younger students and guests. He's immediately taken back to his own graduation last year. His friends have come far.

Mal, Evie and Carlos climb into one of the boats. They're all dressed up nicely. Inside they're all very nervous. They haven't done anything like this before, Mal was never celebrated like this back home. She doubts her mother even shows up or cares but frankly — she doesn't care anymore. She has everything she could've ever wished for.

Headmistress McGonagall holds a speech in which she talks about Hogwarts in general and this year's graduating class. Mal is gripping Evie's hand tightly. This is it. The rest of their lives are about to begin. They've all turned 17. They're legal adults in the wizarding world now.

McGonagall finishes her speech. The boats start to move away from the shore. Evie watches with teary eyes as Hogwarts, her home turns smaller and smaller as they drift away.

"Are you happy?" Evie asks Mal quietly as they watch Hogwarts disappear.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. This is the first time I can say that and mean it," Mal turns to look into Evie's brown eyes; her favorite pair of eyes she's ever going to look into.

"That makes me happy too. I love you," Evie answers. Mal's eyes flash. No one has ever said anything like that to her. Not even her mother.

Mal's expression softens, "I love you too."

"Really?" Evie squeals.

"Really, stupid! What, did you think I was gonna say no?!" Mal throws her head back in laughter. Carlos smiles. He's so happy that Mal and Evie have found each other.

"No, I - I don't know what I was expecting, to be honest. You make me so happy," Evie pulls Mal into a kiss. Mal smiles as they pull back.

"You make me happy too. Happier than anyone else in the world. Suck on that, mom."

Gone is the quiet, insecure 11-year-old little girl whose mother didn't send her off at the train station. She's replaced with Mal, a 17-year-old young woman who's finally truly happy.

And Mal is here to stay.


End file.
